BU appoints leading maternity expert

14 May 2009

BU has appointed leading medical sociologist Professor Edwin van Teijlingen as Professor of Maternal & Perinatal Health Research.

BU’s School of Health & Social Care continues to develop its established reputation for engaging in high-quality research and education with the appointment of Professor Edwin van Teijlingen as Professor of Maternal & Perinatal Health Research.

Professor van Teijlingen is a well-known medical sociologist, having written over 100 peer-reviewed research articles on pregnancy, maternity care and midwifery.

Prior to his new appointment, he was Reader in Public Health at the University of Aberdeen. He has been involved in a range of studies in the reproductive and sexual health field both in the UK and internationally.

He has also published books including Birth by Design: Pregnancy, Maternity Care and Midwifery in North America and Europe (published by Routledge) and Midwifery and the Medicalization of Childbirth (published by Nova Science in New York).

Professor van Teijlingen said: “I aim to bring both a social science and a public health perspective to further develop the study of maternity care at BU and enhance the education, knowledge and understanding of midwives and other health care professionals who engage with maternal and perinatal health.

I am also looking forward to developing local and regional research projects, working with health care professionals, charities and local organisations.”

Professor van Teijlingen joins BU at an exciting time. BU was the fourth most improved university for research quality in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Research relating to Nursing & Midwifery was rated as world leading, achieving results in the highest possible categories (3* and 4*).